I was born and raised in a border town where most of the community is considered to be the lower-income class who came from Mexico in pursuit of a better life. It wasn't any different for me growing up. My mom was a single parent who immigrated to the United States when she was a teenager. So for most of our lives, we've had to struggle financially when it came to paying bills or personal expenses. I remember not being able to do some of the extracurricular activities at school because we didn't have the money to spend on it. When it came to picking which college I would attend for the next four years it was ideal for me to go to a community college and live at home, but I dreamed about attending a university that gave me more opportunity for my degree than a community college would. I wanted to be one of the few percent of Hispanic women that leave the Rio Grande Valley and graduated from a state university. I believe that my greatest achievement was making my own choice and applying to Texas A&M Kingsville University because I've accomplished so much since being accepted. I have obtained leadership positions in my student organizations, officer positions, and getting to attend conventions representing my student organizations. I've also achieved my academic goals by maintaining a 3.6 GPA, getting on the dean's list, and obtaining SCLA honors. This experience taught me that my financial status doesn't define what I can do. I've had to work one or two jobs and cut a lot of things out of my budget just to continue being able to pay for school, but I wouldn't go back and change my decision. Coming into college as a freshman I never thought I would be capable of doing all the things I’ve accomplished within the last three years. I hope in the future I achieve my goals of graduating with a master's in business and working for an organization that helps people in low-income areas. To be able to help my family financially so that they don't have to stress about paying bills or living paycheck to paycheck. If I were to win the WCEJ Foundation Low-Income Scholarship I would be very grateful because it would give me the opportunity to continue with my education and relieve the financial stress my family and I have gone through. I want to prove that all the hardships and struggles were worth it in the end.

My name is Bianca Arizmendi and I am from Brownsville Texas located in the Rio Grande. Both my parents were immigrants who came to the U.S. in pursuit of education and a chance to give me a better life. Growing up in a border town where the cultural environment was based on old school traditions it was difficult to break out of my family’s idea of social norms for women. My mother was a single parent who worked full time as a teacher, so from a very young age I was only taught basic skills like cooking and cleaning. Whenever I showed interest in things like auto mechanics or architecture I was simply shaken off being told that we don't know anything about that, because it's a man's job. During my young teen to adult phase. I was pushed to careers known for women like teaching or nursing, so when I finally had the courage to pursue my business degree my family wasn't too happy with the idea of me going into a career that is typically dominated by men. Fast forward to my current junior year and I have achieved more than I ever thought I would in college. I have excelled in all my business courses with an overall 3.60 gpa and held leadership positions in my student organizations. What motivated me to confront gender disparity was being told I couldn't do it because I was a Hispanic woman and then achieving that goal. Supporting my sisters from my all women fraternity and watching them succeed motivates me to try harder. With my degree I hope to impact future leaders, especially other women that come from places with old traditional views on gender roles, to follow their hearts and take chances. I want to use my degree and help establish a non-profit firm that helps people in low-income communities and offers work and aid toward's single mothers and young women pursuing their careers. Also, makes access to education an equal opportunity for women, especially from diverse backgrounds. Where it is harder to pursue their education by creating scholarships and grants for women who need assistance with tuition or living expenses. I want to change and impact the way young girls perceive their futures and encourage them to go beyond the gender views they were raised with and change the way their families think they should live their lives.

When it comes to studying I find using different methods for different subjects is best fit. The same strategy you use to study math probably won't work for studying history or science. For subjects like History, English, etc. I create a story from the topic we are learning about. For example, if we are learning about the Civil War, or reading “The Great Gatsby”. I'll either put myself in one of the characters, or historical figure shoes to make it more interesting for myself and follow along. This tactic makes studying more enjoyable for myself. Subjects like geography and science I tend to highlight the facts that I find most interesting about the topic. Then try to relate the other factors of the subjects that I have trouble remembering to those interesting facts to remember it better. When it comes to subjects like algebra, physics, etc., these tend to be the hardest subjects for me to learn. It took testing multiple strategies in order to find one that was suitable for me, but in the end, I found that trying to teach someone else the subject helped me learn it better. Studies have shown that teaching the subject to a friend or parent, will improve student efficiency making it easier to learn about the subject. Plus, it will drive them to find ways to learn a subject in order to be able to teach it to someone else. However, the most important strategy I use in school is creating a planner for when the deadlines are and what to study. Organization is the first thing to succeed in school so you don't feel consumed or pressured. Also, make sure to use the materials teachers give you as that is often what the test is about.

“Fortune favors the bold.” This saying might be short, but it helped me realize if I didn't start taking chances I wouldn't get anywhere in life. It's true it's terrifying getting out of your comfort zone especially if there is huge risk, but in reality, if you don't take risk you’ll never find any fortune in life. I remember in high school I was so scared of taking risks I didn't join any clubs, or for any programs because I was too afraid of failing and embarrassing myself. As a result, I ended up gaining nothing, no knowledge or experience to help me grow and become a better person. I didn't want that to be my life to not take a chance and wonder “what if,” it was one of my biggest fears in high school. When I graduated I knew I wanted college to be different, I was going to getting out of my comfort zone and start taking chances. I changed my major to one I was really passionate about instead of listening to other people's opinions, and joined organizations that I felt would benefit me educational and social wise. My family weren't too happy with the choices I made. At first, they thought I was wasting my time and effort, but I couldn't resist the feeling that this is what I had to do. So, I stuck with my decision even with no one supporting my choices. It was scary taking those chances at first, but I'm glad I did. Now I'm going into my junior year and my gpa has never been higher with a 3.5 and rising, also I've been fortunate enough to be elected treasure of my organization. Taking those bold risks has made me become closer to the person I want to become.

Bianca Arizmendi Texas A&M University 1/15/2022 Hobbies Matter With the combination of school and work, one of my favorite hobbies to relieve stress is exercising. Whether it be at the gym or at home, working out helps me clear my mind making me feel better about myself both physically and mentally. It has already been scientifically proven that exercising can improve not only your physical health but your mental health as well, I can tell you that it is true. At times when I feel overwhelmed and can't find a way to release the stress in my body, working out has always been my answer. It helps me feel empowered whenever I'm lifting weight and makes me feel like I can take anything on. When participating in any physical activities, it helps boost your endurance providing energy. I feel more energized every time I finish a set and my laziness quickly turns into energy. Exercising has many benefits to your physical health, it can improve your heart health and increase the strength of your lungs. Plus, it strengthens your muscles allowing me to push myself to do better. The amount of energy I sustain from exercising keeps me on my toes and motivates me to never give up. Not only that but working on your body provides a form of self confidence that goes to your mental state allowing you to think better of yourself. There have been many times when I felt depressed over a certain situation or I couldn't control my anxiety. At times when I'm at my lowest, exercising has assisted in boosting my mental health allowing me to feel good about myself and proud. Wherever I have busy days, I treat exercising as a reward for all the hard work I did, that I deserve to feel and look good. At the start of the 2021 fall semester, I was going through some hard times and began detracting myself from the gym. I didn't work out for weeks and my mental health started to take a toll. I started to feel extremely depressed where I would cry at random times and my motivation for school and work decreased. However, I was able to pick myself up again. Towards the end of the year, I knew I had to make some changes and go back to the way I was. I started hitting the gym again and this time I bought a partner to keep my competitive side motivated. Little by little, my spirit started to rise and so did my stamina. True, exercising did not solve all my problems, but guided me towards trying to find solutions for them instead of just giving up. Thanks to exercising I now feel as if I can conquer anything no matter how difficult it may seem because it gave me the motivation and confidence to do it.